Lies Upon Our Lips
by Lebreau
Summary: He was unlike anything she had ever seen. She fascinated him. They were so different, yet so similar. pre-nobody LarxeneXAxel. Rated T for a scene in chapter 2, nothing happens, just the speech... is... iffy. Don't think I'd want young kids reading it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yeah... see these characters... I don't own them. If I did... Axel would be.. not in KH. He'd be... otherwise occupied. So yeah, no KH-ownage here.

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Relena put down her book and stretched her arms. The sun that beat upon her was slightly uncomfortable, but she was in a lazy mood. Moving from where she sat would take too much effort. She uncrossed her legs and swung them up on the bench next to her book. Sitting the same way was beginning to give her cramps.

Ooooh, the lake looked so pretty. Daydreaming, Relena gazed out at it. All of her books said that a prince always came to take you away to a gorgeous castle of your own. Where was her prince?

"Hmm… what's.. this?" A rough, curious voice broke through her thoughts.

Relena spun around, swinging her legs down from the bench. She was no longer alone. A man with hair only possible in the darker, more abstract tales was perched on the arm of the bench, on the opposite side from her. In his coarse hands he held her book. He flipped it open and paged through it, making a face at the title.

"A romance novel? What horrible taste."

Relena shrank away from the man with her book. What kind of person just came up and scared someone like that? Or just picked up someone else's property and started looking through it?

"Er... excuse me. May I have my book back, please?" Relena asked politely. Her courtesy was forced; it was hard to mask the irritation this stranger was causing her.

"Oh, _your_ book? I assumed it was someone else's, the way you were just sitting there ignoring it." His bright red eyebrows raised themselves doubtfully.

Relena looked around the park as she brought her knees up to her chest. It was nearly deserted at this late time of day. Everyone was at their homes, eating their dinner or relaxing. She looked back at the man as she noticed that the sky was beginning to darken, turning a darker blue and purple mix.  
"Yes, my book. Do you see anyone else it could belong to?" Her annoyance seeped into her voice, her request almost a snap.

"Nah… no other pretty girls around." As he cocked his head in her direction, a smirk crept across his features. The light breeze picked up the flame-like spikes of hair.

She turned towards him again, and rested her chin on her knees. Did he just call her pretty? No one had ever called her pretty before… He was the first.

"Do you have a name?" She asked, seemingly ignoring the fact that he had called her pretty.

"Yes.. do you?"

"I asked you first!" Relena unclenched her fists. She didn't even know she had clenched them in the first place.. He made her uneasy. This man looked like no threat, but who would just come up and take someone's book, and strike up a conversation? What did he want?

He sighed and ran a hand through his brilliant red hair. "The name's Axel… got it memorized?"

Relena giggled. What an odd way to introduce yourself! Then again, it was quite an odd name.  
"I think so!"

"And you? What's your name?" Axel asked.

"I'm Relena… nice to meet you," she said, pulling her knees away from her chest. She had subconsciously curled up into a slight ball, a defensive position.

Axel held out one of his hands to her and scratched the back of his neck with the other. Relena slowly extended her own hand and clasped his, looking over his attire. Simple clothing, just a normal pair of blue jeans and a black sweatshirt. She had expected something more fitting for someone with such bright hair… something more like one of her stories.  
A cloak perhaps? She thought, teasing herself.

"So, is there any reason for you being out here while no one else is, Relena?" Axel dropped her hand and pulled at one of the silver strings on his sweatshirt. He said her voice carefully, with a kind of respect. She liked that.

"I… I guess I like the quiet. I've been out here nearly all day though.. reading.. why are you here?" Relena looked up at the sky as the first raindrops began to fall.

"Well, you looked pretty lonely sitting here… thought I'd give you some company." Axel waved a hand about, as if to emphasize that the park was empty.

Relena wrinkled her nose and continued to look up. "It's starting to rain…"

Axel looked over at her, and then up at the sky. He slid off the arm of the bench and stood up straight, still holding her book. "Do you melt in the rain, or something?"

Relena shivered and rubbed her arms as the thunder began to rumble in the distance. Axel looked at her oddly, like he didn't understand, and she began to get up. "I don't like thunder… it… scares me."

"It's not so bad… fire is much worse, so much more destructive. Thunder's just noise." Axel leaned forward, invading her personal space, and lifted her chin up to the sky. "Does that look scary?"

She shivered again. Relena shrunk back from his touch, pressing herself against the hard back of the chair. It was quite terrifying, but it wasn't exactly bothering her. She felt the fear, and knew that she didn't want to be outside in the storm, but it wasn't scary enough to make her run… yet.

"It looks horrible… like the Gods are fighting over our heads…" Relena crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her chin down close to her neck again. She thought of the black tumult of clouds above her. "I would _much _rather see fire."

"Here." Axel extended his hand to her, and she looked at him blankly.

"What?" Relena asked, rubbing her arms and looking at his hand. _**Boooom**_. Thunder shook through the air around them as a lightning bolt hit the ground across the park. Relena looked over at the lightning, strangely fascinated.

"Your book, my dear. You don't pay much attention to me, do you?" Axel said, following her gaze to across the park. "Oh, so you don't like thunder, but you adore its lover? Is that it?"

"Hmmm? No, that's not it… it's just pretty…" Relena reached out for her book without looking, her hand brushing against Axel's. "Oh!" she gasped, snatching her hand back and dropping the book.

"Oh, I'm sorry." A look of annoyance flashed across his face and he picked up her book, handing it to her carefully. He avoided any contact with her skin this time.

"Er… I really should get home…" Relena said, turning around and starting back down the rock path. The place where their hands had touched seared, as if he had struck a match against her skin.

"Talk to you later, then, Relena." Axel waved a hand in her direction and went the opposite way before she had even risen from where she sat.

"Mmmm…" Relena sighed as she stood up, holding the book to her chest. The thunder didn't seem quite so scary now that she had met Axel.

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And there's chapter one! Reviews are better than chocolate... so share? :)

Axel *omnomnomnoms*

Thank you for reading, and this chapter was edited by NightxBlossom


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing. NightxBlossom wrote part of this chapter, much love to her! Go read her OC story, plz? After the Rain... now.

Review if you like? :D

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Flipping another page, Relena pulled her feet under her as she read. Moonlight arched in through the tall windows of the room, and the shelves caused eerie shadows to fall around her. Silence surrounded Relena, occasionally punctuated by the footsteps of the librarian moving around to replace books to their proper places.

Relena finished her chapter and tore her eyes away from her book, hugging it to her chest. It was nearing twelve and she really should be going home before it got any later. She stood up slowly and walked to the front of the library, stroking the spines of the books as she went.

"See you tomorrow," she murmured - half to the impatient librarian who stood by the desk, waiting for her to leave and half to the books themselves. As she left, her eye caught on what seemed to be a bright flame emerging from the bookshelves. She turned quickly, but it was gone.

Imagining things, she thought to herself. The path was still slick from the afternoon's storm, and Relena's thoughts strayed to the handsome stranger she had met - wait, handsome?

She stopped midstride and stared at her feet, a few blonde curls falling over her eyes. He hadn't been handsome.. rugged, yes. But he was too strange.

And rude, she reminded herself, continuing her walk. Her house wasn't far from here, and the light from the near-full moon would guide her. When Relena was younger she had feared every full moon, insisting that her mother safety-pin a towel around her neck before she went to sleep so the werewolves wouldn't get her. But now, the moon seemed more serene - beautiful, even. The trees dripped slightly, the dewiness of the air pricking the fine hairs on her arms.

Relena's musings were cut off when she felt her foot catch on an uneven patch of sidewalk. Her books fell from her arms as she threw her hands up to protect her face, and she heard her elbows scrape against the harsh ground.

What she didn't hear was the clatter of books which surely would have followed.. Dazed, Relena pulled herself back onto her feet. She ran her eyes along the wet ground. No books in sight.

"Hello?"

"What horrible taste."

Her thoughts jolted to Axel, and she turned with a smile on her face, instead locking eyes with a brooding man in a black cloak. His blue hair fell far over his shoulders, in strange bangs. Amber eyes followed her small, uneasy movements, and as Relena swallowed nervously, his thin lips spread into a crocodile-like grin of pleasure.

"Hello, Relena."

"..." She took a step back. Her body told her to run - she had never been confronted by a stranger at night before.. "Please don't rape me.."

"Rape you?" The man laughed, and it was now that Relena realized he balanced her books in one gloved hand. "Beautiful as you are, it would grant me no satisfaction."

Relena stepped back again, stumbling as her foot caught again. "Ooomph." She feared what would happen if she were to find herself sprawled out on the ground in front of this man again.

Burning hands caught her mid-fall, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. The pair of hands righted her, and she heard their owner exhale in what seemed to be exasperation.

"Must you always ruin things, Saix?" The newcomer said, waving a peculiar item through the air to punctuate what he said.

"I don't ruin a thing, Number Eight." 'Saix' said coldly, holding Relena's books out to her. "Here, my dear, I assume you wish to have these back."

Relena tried to back up again, bumping into the man with the burning hands. He leaned down, lips brushing her ear.  
"Don't worry; he's not going to hurt you." She jumped and turned to look at him, taking in the black cloak. It was very similar to the one Saix wore… and the two clearly knew each other…

"Well, would you like your books?" Saix said, moving forward with his arm outstretched still. His eyes flashed dangerously as a cloud uncovered the moon. Relena shivered and rubbed her bare arms, her eyes not meeting his.

"Come now Saix, don't scare the girl. I'll take her books for her." The stranger stepped out in front of Relena and snatched her books. She tried to make herself as small as possible when Saix snarled and moved to go around the other man.

"That's… quite… impolite of her." Saix said with forced sounding politeness. His head jerked up to look at the moon, angry at the cloudy night. Amber eyes, turning more yellow as anger marked his face, seemed to cut straight through her.

Relena backed away slowly as fire appeared around the stranger's hands, solidifying into two spiked circles. In an instant, he closed the space between himself and Saix and put one of his spiked circles dangerously close to the other man's neck. "She's going to leave now, and you're not going to stop her. Understand?"

Terrifying as it was, Relena felt less threatened now that the other man had come - he clearly didn't want Saix to hurt her.. unless he wanted to hurt her himself..

"You'd threaten me, would you? I meant no harm." Saix swallowed carefully as he spoke, all too aware of the weapon pressed to his throat. "She'd be perfect, you realize."

The cloaked stranger looked over his shoulder at Relena, cocking his head in the direction of her home. "You should be going now. Don't worry about your books."

- - -

Relena spun around so quickly that she almost fell down again, and hurried to her house. Not far now.. not too far…

- - -

Saix summoned a dark portal and backed into it, laughing manically. "How sweet of you to protect her…"

The remaining man let his now flaming weapons puff out and disappear, and summoned his own portal. He stepped into it after gathering up Relena's books, cringing as the darkness surrounded him.

- - -

Hurrying up her front steps, Relena fumbled with her keys, trying to unlock the door. She finally slipped the right one into the lock and scurried inside, quickly shutting the door and slamming the deadbolt across. Relena walked slowly into her living room, sinking to the floor in front of her couch in a daze. She pulled her knees up and started to rock back and forth, tears threatening to fall.

_**Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.**_

"Go away." Relena sobbed quietly. "Just go away." She covered her face with her hands and continued rocking slowly.

"Relena, it's Axel." The rapping noise started again. "Please let me in."

Relena dried her face as well as she could. "Axel?" For a split second the thought flashed through her mind, questioning how he had found her house.. but hysteria brushed it away.

Uncurling her legs, she got up unsteadily and crossed the room, nearly falling into the door as she reached it. She turned the deadbolt and stepped to the side of the door enough for him to open it, sliding back down to the ground.

"Are these yours? They were…" Axel trailed off, seeing her on the floor. He crossed the threshold of the door and set the books he was holding on the ground. "Hey, you okay?"

Tears ran down Relena's face again, and Axel crouched down in front of her, turning his head to look at her. He lifted her chin, and looked at her eyes as she cringed away and tried to hide her face. "Come, what's wrong?"

"I… I don't… want to talk about it…" She sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I was so scared… so… so scared…" In some small corner of her mind, she realized that his touch was as hot as the touch of the stranger from earlier. Or perhaps she was just too cold.

"You're alright now. No one's going to get you now. You're safe, at home." Axel pulled his sleeves over his hands, and wrapped his arms around her. "You're alright…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, NightxBlossom helped write this one. She edited too! *hugs***

**This is shorter because I have limited computer access, and writing is hard. **

**I own nothing *whimper*  
**

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Relena stretched her arms out from around her legs and her body twitched slightly. After spending too long in the same position, her body was telling her just exactly what it thought of her not moving for so long. She could feel two extremely warm arms around her, and she twisted her head around to see who they belonged to.

As she turned her head, so did he. All she saw was a spinning mass of fire-red spikes and a bit of the side of his face. He had to realize she was awake by now, as she moved. That hair... oh! Relena shook her head as memories of the cloaked men hit her abruptly. Axel had shown up so soon after she'd gotten home...

"You're okay?" Axel had meant this as a statement, but it came out in a questioning, unsure tone.

Relena nodded her head. "But I should call the police..." She looked to the kitchen and played with her hair.

Axel looked down at her and had the urge to tighten his arms, to restrain her. Call the police, against Saix? The police wouldn't help... hell, they wouldn't even be able to find him. Saix was probably safe back at the World That Never Was by now...

"Axel, please let me go." Relena's voice was pleading; she believed calling the police would be the best idea. She was still a bit shook up, and the rational part of her head was telling her that she'd nearly been raped. "I need to get up now..."

"You can't call the police, Relena. It won't help." Axel carefully pulled his sleeves further down around his hands, paranoid that they were slipping. He wasn't even sure why he was holding her. Axel felt overly protective even though he knew humans probably found it strange - after all, he had only spoken with her for a few minutes. To turn up at her door..  
But she didn't seem to mind.

Relena looked forward at the door and cringed as she remembered the state she had been in when he first arrived. Just crying and being held for a little while had calmed her down an immense amount, and now she was ready to get up and do the rational thing.

"Why not?" She pushed at his arms, wondering why he was so much warmer than she was. Axel wouldn't let her go, for some insane reason. "Please let me go."

"Just trust me on this. Calling the police won't do you any good."  
"Of course it will!" Relena protested, and broke out of his hold. She stood up and took a few steps away from him. "_You _weren't there!"  
Relena turned and walked over to the wall where her cordless phone was kept.  
"Besides, that's the whole point of nine one - wha?" Her voice faded out.  
Axel no longer sat beside her doorway - he was next to her, the frayed phone cord in his hand.

"... Axel, why is my phone cord ripped in two?" Relena looked at the cord hanging limply from his hand and sighed. He was really insistent about this.. it scared her.

"Because you wouldn't listen." Axel made his face look calm, a mask that was the opposite of what he was feeling.

"Out. Leave." Relena stepped forward, pointing at the door.

"What? Relena, don-"

Relena placed her palms firmly on his chest and shoved him backwards at her front door. She knew when to say no, even if she was shy. He wasn't her friend, just a concerned stranger. And while she _did _appreciate that..

Axel stumbled when she pushed him and his hands brushed her bare arms. Relena snatched her arms back before his overly hot skin could burn her, and looked at him quizzically.

"What are you?" She asked, shrinking back a little into her thoughts. Humans weren't that warm, hot enough to burn. Perhaps he had some kind of condition.. ?

"Nothing." Axel muttered as he went out the door, thinking of the cold castle that awaited him with disgust. Why had he even bothered in his attempt to befriend her? She wouldn't understand about Nobodies and everything he saw daily. Heartless weren't a part of this girl's world. Thankfully.

Stalking through the streets, Axel looked up at the sky. The moon was fading; Saix would be back to normal now. She was safe for now, it seemed.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts, darlings, because if I did, you can be sure that Zexion wouldn't be in this chapter. Also, Axel pokes a bit of fun at poor Marly... but I swear I love him. I SWEAR...**

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Axel wasn't in a particularly fine mood, and the mind-numbing white surrounding him didn't help. He needed color, something to distract him from the blandness of the castle. Being here always put him on edge, as though someone was going to jump out from behind something and attack him. How he felt just proved that he didn't trust the rest of them. Not even.. no, especially not Saix. He had changed so much, after...

"Axel!" .. not him. Not this over-hyper blonde now. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with Demyx. Hell, was he ever?

"..." Axel glared at him, eyes nearly turning into slits. What did this annoying water lover want? That right there was enough to make him annoying. Water was not something to be loved.

"Axel, guess what?!" Demyx grinned brightly, sharply contrasting the stormy look that graced Axel's own face. Did he _look _like he was in the mood for guessing games? Was this a happy face? No and no. This was a "Leave me alone before I roast you" face. Did Demyx have a secret desire to become barbecue?

"... what?" Anything to get Demyx away, letting him go back to his depressing thoughts... She had kicked him out. But she had kicked him out after her phone cord had an accident. And he kept burning her... it would be much better to stay here, in this castle of white. Relena made him too anxious. No, it wasn't her. He just didn't like revealing what he was... It wasn't her, specificly. He'd still have a problem if some random stranger on the street was burned by his skin. And that's what she was, really. A stranger. He had just attempted companionship - maybe he hadn't done it right.

"We're getting a new member! Can you believe it? It seems like it's been _forever_-" Demyx made a disgusted face. "-since we got Marluxia, and it's not like he's much fun. I hope this one is exciting! What do you think he'll be like? Or wait... what if it's a girl?" Demyx's face lit up at the prospect of a female member. He was really too talkative for his own good. It would get him into trouble some time. Axel smiled briefly at the thought of Xemnas screaming at Demyx last time he interrupted a meeting. It already _had _gotten him in trouble, on many occasions. They were always quite amusing... or at least, they would be. Axel kept forgetting that he couldn't really feel. He tricked himself into thinking he felt.

"Axel? Aren't you excited?!" Leaning closer to Axel, Demyx kept pressing for excitement. What an idiot. Axel idly wondered if annoyance at someone was an emotion.

"Yes, I can't wait," Axel deadpanned, backing away from Demyx again. "Hey, listen... I heard that Vexen wanted some help with something... I'd hide if I were you."

Axel felt no guilt at tricking the most annoying member he had yet to come across. There was nothing wrong with sending Demyx away from him. The idiot would probably find hiding himself fun.

"O-oh, thanks Axel... I'll see you later..." Demyx turned and went in the other direction, leaving Axel to debate burning down the castle. That would be bad, he supposed as he stalked down the hallway to put space between himself and Demyx.

The temptation to surround himself with fire - to burn out all of his thoughts - was growing. It was growing ever stronger, threatening to consume, to burn down the pristine castle and all of its occupants. Just burn it, watching the fire take everything away. Yes, burn...

"... I'm not sure of her name yet, but she appears to fancy literature. I caught her on her way home, Xemnas, and she was terrified. A... certain member stopped me before I could _really _discover her potential."

... Saix? And.. no.. he had to be talking about Relena. Axel stopped outside the doorway he had come to, and listened.

"She sounds promising. Keep an eye on her, she may be valuable."

Axel's hand clenched into a fist. He never had approved of the making of Nobodies. Why, exactly, would anyone want to condemn another person to this fate? It didn't make sense, at least in Axel's mind. He wouldn't ever make a Nobody for Xemnas, no matter what happened. It just seemed so... wrong.

"Is there a reason you're blocking the doorway, number eight?"

Axel spun around, fully intending to barbecue whoever was interrupting his eavesdropping. Ahh... number six, Zexion. As much as Axel would _enjoy_ setting him on fire, it wouldn't be intelligent or productive. There were certain _valuable _people that you didn't piss off, or kill, for that matter. Everyone in the Organization was a schemer, sure, but some were better than others, and Six here was certainly better.

"I apologize, Zexion. I shall remove myself from your desired path." Axel gave a short fake bow and a large grin as he back away from the door, allowing Zexion to pass. The steel-haired man looked at him with disdain, and continued into the room. Axel still stood there, mind whirling as he contemplated what was happening. He really hadn't meant for this to go as far as it had already. He was _bored. _Boredom had caused him to go up to a random pretty girl in the park, and later that night, all that had driven him was... well, he couldn't leave her defenseless when Saix was nearby. Who knew what he was capable of when the moon was out?

He shook his head, clearing it out a tiny bit. This was no way to go into a meeting, really. His head had to be a blank slate, empty of anything that would show his attitude. A self-satisfied smirk settled over his features, and Axel eased the door open. Xemnas, Saix, Zexion, and Xigbar. Great. He allowed a small sigh to escape as he perched himself on his own tall white chair. So much white.. so bland, tasteless, _boring._ Axel hated boring most of all.

"Greetings, Axel." Saix spoke from his raised seat, above both Axel and Zexion. This was puzzling at best, but not the kind of puzzle Axel liked. The hierarchy of the Organization couldn't concern him less. It was great fun infuriating them, sure, but he could take them or leave them. He wasn't close to any, and annoyed all. Or _they_ annoyed _him_.

"Hello, Saix." Axel tapped his fingers on the chair nonchalantly. Saix was a tricky one, the best for playing these games with. He wasn't always fun like this.. Saix used to be too laid back, never rising to Axel's bait. All had changed when they became nobodies. Saix had turned it into a contest for power, while Axel just wanted to mess with people's heads, play a few _hearts._

The doors opened again, allowing an arguing Vexen and Luxord to enter, and shortly after them came Marluxia, Lexaeus, and Xaldin. Demyx slipped in late, quietly going to his seat.

"Late again, Demyx." Xemnas looked down on Demyx from his high perch above the rest of the members. Axel suppressed a grin; he loved it when Xemnas began berating Demyx.

"I-I got lost..." Demyx looked down at the ground, far nearer to him than the rest of them. Demyx was like the puppy you kicked and kicked, but it just kept coming back.

"I'll deal with it later, I suppose... We have more important things to talk about." Xemnas turned away from Demyx and looked pointedly at Saix, then Axel, instead. Axel stared straight back.

_Don't show fear, don't show fear. It's not my fault that Xemnas is thinking about turning an innocent girl into a nobody. He could have picked her off of the street just as easily. _Oh, but he didn't, now did he Axel? _But he could have! There was no reason for her to be in danger because I've associated with her. _You protected her from Saix, didn't you? It _is_ your fault, and you know it. _I didn't do anything! _You comforted her as well, what if Saix knows about that? _There's no way, and besides, I didn't comfort her. I merely made sure Saix didn't come back. I don't approve of people becoming nobodies, you know. _You keep telling yourself that, Axel...

"... yet to make a nobody, Axel." All eyes were on Axel during his mental argument with himself, and Xemnas had just said something that must be important. He hadn't been listening, of course; he never did during these meetings. Something about making a nobody.. ?

"I know, and I apologize, Xemnas. I simply haven't found anyone suitable."

"Well... Saix has told me otherwise, but we won't discuss that now. Please, stay after the meeting, Axel and Saix. Xaldin, I would like to congratulate you on an excellent choice of a new member. Marluxia has been a great asset for the Organization, and our plans are that much closer to being completed."

_A great asset, hmm? A great ass is probably what he's thinking._ Axel rolled his eyes and glanced around the room. Wait, what? Was... Marluxia.. honestly crossing his legs? Axel looked away quickly, stopping himself from laughing. Actually crossing his legs... Perhaps Xemnas _was _thinking that Marluxia's been a great ass.

"And on that note, meeting adjourned." Demyx was the first one to scurry out the door, followed more slowly by the rest of the Organization, excluding Saix, Xemnas, and Axel.

"Well, Axel, we seem to have a slight problem. Saix was just telling me before you came in that you've been around a human. This is not permitted, unless of course you plan to convert her. Saix also tells me that you stopped him from frightening the girl as well. I hope for your sake that you're assessing her abilities, and not trying to protect her."

Axel froze his face into his perfectly calm mask, and answered Xemnas coolly. "I'm not sure if she's.. worthy yet. She doesn't show much promise, but then again, there's the possibility that she'll change as some others did." Axel was glaring at Saix slightly by the end of his composed statement, and Xemnas was chuckling softly.

"Very well... I'll have Saix keep an eye on you, but for now, you may continue as you were."

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**Brittany thinks that certain lines should be edited to read: Marluxia has been a great ass for the Organization, and our orgasms are that much closer to being completed.  
Also: Marluxia has been fun to buttrape and make girly.**

**This is purely her opinion, and does not diminish the fact that I have recently gotten Re:CoM and drool at Marluxia's voice until I see Axel. Thanks for the editing, babes  
**

**Reviews are love, yes? OH AND SORRY FOR THE LENGTH OF TIME IT TOOK ME TO UPDATE THIS .  
**


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